Cox's Bazar World's Largest Seabeach

Bangladesh's hatchling but disturbed tourism business is leisurely luring foreign and family travellers, business officials say. One of the most in style destination this winter was this beach resort town of Cox's Bazar on the Bay of Bengal, which drew sun-worshippers from as far away as Europe and Southeast Asia.

"Foreigners come here, but we cannot offer the whole lot they call for. But still they like the beach and of course the warmth of the people here," said Mahbubul Alam Akash, who hires out colourful beach chairs and sun umbrellas. "A large number of Bangladeshis mass the town now and their number has been growing over the past years... we will find time to inhale once the official sightseeing season is over."

There are no official information on the numbers of visitors to Cox's Bazar this winter, but hotel owner said the 10,000 rooms accessible were full almost seven days a week in December and a second run is expected for the Eid-al Adha festival February 13. "The winter season helps us to go through rest of the year, when the number of travellers drop radically along with revenue," said an official at a major hotel.

Cox's Bazar got its first five-star accommodation in December, a hotel overlooking the world's largest natural white sand beach and bask in its impressive sunsets.

The maximum temperature here in the winter is only about 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit), but tourists on the seashore enjoy cups of tea, food and drink or the very popular green coconut water.

A spokesman for the state-owned Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), told AFP tourism was growing every year, with the government doing its best to lure travellers to the South Asian nation.

The Bangladesh Monitor, a fortnightly scandalous focus on the tourism industry, said Bangladesh was a hopeful aim for foreign tourists, but communications problems, including hotel space, were a major holdup to growth.

Locals, too, are saving their taka to travel, choosing destination akin to Cox's Bazar and island in the Bay of Bengal, as well as the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forests, the tea-growing Sylhet district, the southeastern hill tracts region and historical sites.

"The raise of Bangladeshis travelling within the country is important and they also include those who would normally favor holidaying in Bangkok or Singapore," Mansur said. "The change of attitude is positive, but we have to ensure we can hold on to them."